Device for securing and releasing lifeboats



Nov. 6 1923. 11,473,274

H. W. BROADY DEVICE FOR SECURING AND RELEASING LIFEBOATS Filed Sept. 4. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet i H. W. BROADY DEVICE FOR SECURING AND RELEASING LIFEBOATS Nov. 6 11923.1

Filed Sept. 4, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 6, i923.

unit stars a a r HARRY BROADY, OF BAYSIDE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AIVIEBICAN BALSA COM- PANY, INC., A CGRPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR SECUBKNG AND RELEASING LIFEBOA'I'S.

Application filed September 4, 1920. Serial No. 408,134.

To all til/Z0772, it may concern:

Be it known that I, Haney lV. Bnonnr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bayside, borough of Queens, county of Queens, and State of New York,have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Securing and Releasing Lifeboats, of which the following is :1 specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for securing and releasing life-boats, and particularly to that type of device wherein a life-boat is pivotally supported on the deck of a vessel in such a manner as to be tiltable about its longitudinal axis by rocking mechanism which moves the same about its pivotal support.

One of the objects of this invention is to improve and simplify the construction of this type of device so as to enable the same to be manufactured economically.

Another objectis to lock or release the actuating lever for tilting the boat supports by means of the gripe-release device or flexible connection for securing the boat to the support, so that the release or fastening of the flexible connection or gripe also releases or fastens the actuating lever,-and the fastening device of the flexible connection or gripe preferably comprises the conventional pelican hook, and I am furthermore enabled to utilize the actuating lever for tilting the supports as a portion of the securing means for the boat'or boats. 7

Another object of this invention is to produce an extremely simpleandefiective lever arrangement for tilting the boat support which may not only be secured in its norinal non-tilted position by one of the gripe chains but which, when the support is tilted, will cause the support and any boat or boats that may be secured thereon to be automat ically locked and retained in tilted position, and the launchingof the boat which. is released from the support may be facilitated Another object of my invention is to pro duce a lever arrangement for tilting a support which is so disposed or pivoted in relation to the lowering movement of the boat that, when one life-boat of a series which has been nested on said support is being lowered or moved outwardly the weight of such boat will assist in tilting the support and any other boat or boats which may be mounted upon and secured to said support,

and will also assist in causing the actuating lever and its connecting link to be swung into locked relationship with the-support 111 tilted position with or without one or more boats lashed thereto.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention. comprises the combination of members and arrangement of parts so combined as to co-act and cooperate with each other in the performance of the functions and the accomplishment of the results herein contemplated, and comprises in one of its adaptations the species or preferred form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which A Fig. l is a side elevation of a embodiment of my invention illustrating the same applied to two life-boats, nested one on top of the other;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the nested lifeboats shown in Fig. 1 with gripe chains and tilting lever in secured position; and

Fig. 3 is an end view showing the gripe chains for the top boat released and the support tilted by the lever mechanism.

Referring now to these drawings, 1 designates the deckof a vessel to which is rigidly secured twin supporting cradles or tilting chocks 2 which, as shown, comprise two beams, each of which is pivoted intermediate its ends on a pivot 3 bearing in a bracket 4: secured to the deck of a vessel in any suitable manner.

As illustrated the beams 52 are held in their normal horizontal non-tilted position by means of a bell-crank lever 5 which, as shown, is pivoted at 5" to the deck of the vessel 1 and has its short arm 6 pivotally connected with a link 7 which is, as shown, pivotally connected to the beam When the beam is in normal non-tilted or horizontal on tne beams 52 but the lever 5 may, if de sired beheld or may bereleasably secured to the endo'l the beams during rnounting In the mbodiment shown, two boatsrr are nested and mounted on and secureclitoitwln beams Qand lever and link device 1s used at each end. The lower boat-may be releasv ably secured to the beams 2 as illustrated by flexible connections:or'gripes 8' each: preferablyconnected at one end to anleye 8 in the outboard end ofthe support. 2- andhavi-ngw at its inboard end a releasable connectlon with r theinboarchend of the'support by means of a pelican hools 8 Slaokinay be-taken up in the gripesS by-turn-buckles 9i The'upper or top boatis, asshown, secured by the {lexible connections orgripes IOeacljrpreterably connected at the outboard end to an eyelO 'in the deck of'the vesseland at its inboard end having a peliccan'hook 11- which is, in the form illustrated, i'tastenjed to a ring 12' car ried by the: lever 5. When thus secured the bOittSWlll be securely fastened on the sup ports 2, and the leverwill 'be-held in inop erative on nonti -lting=position.

' When it is desired to lower one of the boats, thetop boat being connected 'to the falls '13 of the davits l4, thepelican hoololl 'is released and the lever S-turned down.

This Willcause an upward push on the link 7 and'la.tiltingaboutthe'pivots3 of the/supports 2 Which'Will, or course, cause the boats nountedthe-re'on-ito be likewise tilted. V I When .in operation, the level-'5 isinoved into the-position shown n F1 9;. 3-, the suppontingbeams- QPWill, owing to the-relative angular positions 'OTE thG plvotsand eonneo tion'oftheulink 7i and the short: arm (3 oh the bell crank. lever: belocked intiltedi position and the launchingiof the top boat will be greatly facilitatedr Al li'ter-connection of thefalls to theloiver boat, the pelicanihook 8 may bereleased and this boat lowered with greater ease than if retained in-horizontaliposition;

It Will be apparent that in the arrangement of; levers shown v and: described the weight and also the outboard movement by thedavits ohtheboatsiinilaunching will as.-

s-ist the operationio'f turningdmvn ottho bell cranklever 5ltill it. reaches its locking position shown infiFig. 3, an'd also'that one of the boats maybe-secured onlthe support and the lever may be fastened inits inoperative or non-tilting 13081131011, by the.simple= and conventionalzpelican hook.-

It will be obvious also that inorderfto procure ajrigridz and: secure locking joint betoobtain. an: unyielding connection. between the lever and flexible connection forsecurin the boat- 'or boats, 1t-;1s-des1rable:to arrange the axis of the@actuat-ing='device or: 'leverin; a

plane suhstanially parallel to the; plane I in x vhi'chthe pivot of *thesupport is disposed;

It will also be notedjithat Whenrny-inven tion is used in connection With nested boats any; motion of the uppen-boat when: secured or in stowed position will create a tension in the flexibl connection for gripes Wl1l0h will. I be transmitted through "the bell-crank lever 5 andlink'T. to the support 2, and will thus tend to further hold the support and the lowerheat in horizontal or non-tilting position, and furthermore-that during'theswingin O1ltf0'fi the upper boat in the event that the ever or levers ,5 should not be swung;

down but on the contrary shouldbe simply released, the upper'boatbeing swung-out by the clavitswill exert suchazpressure atthe outboard; edge of: the lower boatas to cause the lower-boat andsupport'to tilt enough to permit: the upper boat toiclear it. i I

Ila-wingdescribed my invention I cla i111 -1".Ini coinl'jination, a support. for a. lite boat pivoted onthedeck of a vessel andadapted: to tilt in an outboards chrect1on,' a

flexible connection. secured; at one end out board of! said lite boat and adapted :to pass transversely across the same, a bell crank lever-pivoted adjacentz to the inboard side of said support! comprisinga shortiarm op' eratively connectedsat itsfree endzwitlrthe v inboard end of saidisupporti and a: relatively longactuating-arm, movable from vertical lnoper'ative position to, llQllZOhtal; support tilting position anchmeans for: releasably connecting the free end. of; SELlCl actuating armx Withthe inboard end'i of said flexible connection: to fasten v the same: ini'said inoperative position. I v a ,2. 'Inico1nbination,a; support for a life boat: pivoted on the deck 01": a vessel and adapteditoztilt' in an outboarddirection; a

flexible. connection for releasablysecurlng connection to; releasably; secure" the same: in

its other; extremeposition:

The combination with; a inure-inf 0f t nested;-life-b0ats,tot;a" suitable support pivnectionfor a; lowenrbo at Securechat one end to the, outboardend ofpsaid;supportancl ing at; releaseblevconnection;emits-opposite end; with the inboard end of} saidysupport I another] flexible:conneetion ifor the? upper boat selcuredi to the: deck ;0 f: the vessel; at the outboard end; oil said; support aibelLcnank V leveri pivoted adj a-cent ,to, the ginb.Q d'-. n 3 of said support; on the deck of the vesseh one arm; of which; has an operative connection with the inboard end of saidsupport; and the other arm has a releasable connection with the inboard side of the flexible connection for the upper boat.

4;. The combination with a plurality of nested life-boats, of a suitable support pivoted on the deck of a vessel, a flexible connection for a lower boat secured at one end to the outboard end of said support and having a releasable connection at its opposite end with the inboard end of said support, another flexible connection for the upper boat secured to the deck of the vessel at the outboard end of said support, lever mechanism pivoted adjacent to the inboard end of said support on the deck of the vessel, one arm of which has an operative connection with the inboard end of said support and another arm has a releasable connection with the inboard side of said flexible connection for the upper boat.

5. The combination with a plurality of nested life-boats, of a suitable support pivoted on the deck of a vessel, a flexible connection for a lower boat secured at one end to the outboard end of said support and having a releasable connection at its opposite end with the inboard end of said support, another flexible connection for the upper boat secured to the deck of the vessel at the outboard end of said support, a bellcrank lever pivoted adjacent to the inboard end of said support on the deck of the vessel, one arm of which has an operative con nection with the inboard end of said support and the other arm has a releasable connection with the inboard side of said flexible connection for the upper boat comprisinga pelican hook on the said flexible connection and a ring on the lever.

In Witness whereof, I have signed my name to the foregoing specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY W. BROAD Y.

Witnesses:

CHARLES J. GALE, HELEN V. WHIDDEN. 

